A Virtuous Cupcake

If the cupcake trend has smitten you with too much “cupcake awareness” and high-calorie temptation, try this Health-e-Recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes.

Beets are the key ingredient and we’ve added cocoa plus spices, a little healthy fat and not too much sugar to concoct a delectable treat to indulge in with less guilt. Using canned unpickled beets provides natural red color that translates perfectly into a Devil’s Food-like cake. The red color comes from betacyanin, an indole phytochemical also found in chard.

If you don’t have or can’t find buttermilk, just use the same amount of reduced-fat milk and sour it with a teaspoon of lemon juice to get the same result. As for the cream cheese frosting, it can also be substituted with just a sprinkle of powdered sugar on the tops of these cupcakes to save a few more calories.

You’ll love the velvety texture of these cupcakes. The AICR Test Kitchen features more tempting healthy recipes. Subscribe to our weekly Health-e-Recipe.